One of the challenges of being gluten free is finding nice breakfast cereals. I prefer granola types of cereals, rather than more processed types of cereals that are made into shapes. My preference is for organic and low Glycemic Index ingredients, but that isn't always possible when you are gluten-free.I have wanted to create my own granola for some time. Something I could always have on hand regardless of what the stores have in stock or make a batch in advance and take it with us when we travel.
With a granola goal in mind, I purchased a larger stock of Madhava Organic Agave Syrup and started to work on my recipe. I began experimenting and worked up a recipe for a Fig & Apricot Granola. However, I didn't realize that Agave Syrup is very sensitive to burning if it is cooked too long or at too high a temperature. So, my granola was a bit over toasted as were the figs, they didn't like being cooked too long either.
I went back to the working on the recipe and came up with The Berries & Cherries Granola. It is a nice lightly sweet cereal that was a hit with my family.
Recipe
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup dried berries & cherries
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tb melted butter
1/2 cup agave syrup
2 tsp flax seeds
2 tsp flax meal
Line a cookie pan with parchment paper. Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then spread out onto the parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn over the granola every 10 minutes to keep it from browning too much.
Note: Feel free to adjust the amount of flax seeds and flax meal to your preferred amounts.
My family voters were thrilled with the granola. Especially our sheltie, she couldn't get enough of the dried berries & cherries. This one is a keeper.
